sweetgeorgia

Mail-order Monday

It’s 12:30 pm and already I’ve been visited by at least five delivery people! Between printer supplies, the new Apple iWork software, and various other deliveries, I received my new purse!

It’s Jordana Paige’s Knitter’s Purse in black… it’s quite a bit bigger than I thought it might be — big enough to hold, you know, one of those Tinkerbell dogs. But I love it — it’s deceptively minimal and sleek, with a tiny little embroidered label that says “Jordana Paige”. Black, slim and trim, it could very well say “Kate Spade”.

Does this mean I can now knit during client meetings? Probably not. But I can bring my knitting along with me for before and after!

A nice touch — they even included a beautiful set of mini bamboo knitting needles (Clover) in size US 3/3.25 mm. Very nice.

Missing Kim.

Kim, Kim, where are you?

I just received an update from Colourway about the new Rowan 37 magazine that’s been delayed for a couple weeks… They have some of the previews up on their site now! But I have to say that I miss Kim’s designs. So far, from the rough overview, here are the two that I like, plus notes from Rowan:

Rowan No. 37:

• Designers: Kaffe Fassett, Louisa Harding, Sarah Dallas, Martin Storey, Sasha Kagan, Brandon Mably, Carol Meldrum, Leah Sutton, Sharon Miller, Jenny Atkinson, Laura Long, Lucinda Guy, Lois Daykin, Sarah Hatton, Melody Griffiths and Stella Smith
• Yarn: Summer Tweed, Handknit Cotton, All Seasons Cotton, Calmer, 4 Ply Cotton, Cotton Glace, Cotton Tape, Linen Print, Lurex Shimmer, 4 Ply Soft, Kidsilk Haze, All Seasons Cotton
• Description: The magazine has a romantic inspirational feel about it. The stable of designers used this season is especially strong, with new designers Sarah Hatton, Melody Griffiths and Stella Smith, making their debut appearances. We have retained the excellent styling and photography flair of Kim Hargreaves and Joey Toller for 3 of the stories, whilst also introducing a new team for one of the stories, Emma Freemantle, stylist and Gisella Toress, photographer.

There are four stories:

• Last Resort - A fresh feel with a relaxed holiday atmosphere. Photographed by Joey Toller and styled by Kim Hargreaves. Cool shades have been used in 4ply Cotton, Handknit Cotton, Cotton Tape and Cotton Glace.
• Raw Sophistication - A story with a city twist to the country. Photographed by Joey Toller and styled by Kim Hargreaves. Featuring All Seasons Cotton, Linen Print, Summer Tweed, Calmer, Handknit Cotton, Cotton Glace and Cotton Tape.
• Fine Romance - A romantic dreamy tale. Photographed by Gisella Toress, styled by Emma Freemantle. Featuring Kidsilk Haze, Calmer, 4ply Cotton and Handknit Cotton.
• Mixed Messages - An eclectic colourful mix to brighten any winter’s day. Photographed by Joey Toller and styled by Kim Hargreaves. Featuring Calmer, Cotton Tape, Linen Print, All Seasons Cotton, Summer Tweed, Handknit Cotton, Summer Tweed, Lurex Shimmer, 4ply Cotton and Cotton Glace.

Even more marvelous than the new Rowan? There’s a new line of yarns at Rowan called “RYC” that includes cashmere blends in 4-ply and DK weights: Cashsoft and Cashcotton. In addition, there are two new pattern books by Martin Storey called Classic Caf?¬© and Classic Garden coming too. They are not available to order yet, but hopefully soon!

RYC Classic Caf?©

• Designer: Martin Storey
• Yarn: Cashsoft DK and Cashcotton DK
• Description: Classic Cafe is the first brochure in the RYC Classic Collection, a brand new and charming collection of DK handknits, designed with the mature but style conscious knitter in mind. Shot on location in one of London’s most fashionable high streets, Classic Cafe features a range of handknits that are ideal for getting together with friends for a coffee, picnics in the park, walking the dog or even just window shopping. Designs include the witty ‘Deli’ trellis trim cardigan coat, the must-have ‘Manhattan’ fringe trim tailored jacket, ‘Broadway’ cable and ‘Liberty’ stripe. To accompany this beautiful brochure is a range of wonderfully luxurious yarns:
• Cashsoft DK is a velvety, cosy cashmere and wool blend featuring a sumptuous palette of summer colours including ‘Bella Donna’ lilac, ‘Sweet’ pink and ‘Mirage’ blue.
• Cashcotton DK is a blend of cashmere and cotton in a cool summer palette of shades including ‘Apple’ green, Magenta and Quartz.

Jaeger JB34

• Designer: Louisa Harding
• Yarn: Aqua and Trinity
• Description: A cool classic collection photographed in a contemporary setting featuring sweaters, cardigans and sleeveless tops. The shades used depict the soft calm feel of summer creating pieces that will stand the test of time.

Looking forward to shopping, knitting and more shopping this Spring!!! You can get the full story at Colourway.

Bell Sleeved Cabled Pullover

Thanks to everybody for warning me about the multitude of errors in Suss’s Hollywood Knits book. And for those who asked, here are the photos of the sweater from the book:

Well, here is the errata gleaned from Suss’s web site for the Bell Sleeved Cabled Pullover:

• Page 115: Back, 9th paragraph: Work even until piece measures 18 1/2″ (19″, 19 1/2″) from beginning, not 18 1/2″ (19 1/2″, 19″), ending with a purl row,
• 11th paragraph: Work even until piece measures 23 1/2″ (24 1/2″, 25″) from beginning, not 23 1/2″ (24 1/2″, 24 1/2″), ending with a purl row,
• Page 116: Front, 10th paragraph: Work even until piece measures 22″ (23″, 23 1/2″) from beginning, not 22″ (23″, 23″), ending with a purl row.
• 13th paragraph: Work even until piece measures 23 1/2″ (24 1/2″, 25″) from beginning, not 23 1/2″ (24 1/2″, 24 1/2″), ending with a purl row.

BUT, I found yet another (major) error. The front cable instructions don’t include any purl stitches before and after the cable to offset and define the cable itself…. So the cabled section blends into the rest of the sweater and looks like…a bellybutton(!) Looking at the front photo again, I think I’m going to want a bigger fluffier cable, so instead of C6B, I might do C10B or C12B. And of course, I’ll use two purls stitches before and after.

Also a bizarre thing about the construction of this sweater is that the collar is knit flat as an extension of each of the front and back pieces. That means you’ll have to sew up TWO side neck seams. Lame. So when I finished the back piece (sans collar), I left the back neck stitches on a stitch holder. When I finish the front, I’ll pick up the stitches on the back neckline and knit the collar in circular — no seams! Yay.

La “Cotton Candy”

Being cabled out, socked out, and maybe just teeny-tiny needled out, I cast on for the Bell Sleeved Cable Sweater from the Hollywood Knits book last night. I bought this La Gran Mohair a few months ago and it felt kind of rough and scratchy on the ball… but when you knit it up! Egads! It really looks and feels like cotton candy! I love it — it’s got a beautiful soft feel — and am so looking forward to wearing this! Bonus: it doesn’t shed at all!

It’s knit on US 13 (9 mm) needles so the work should go quick — I mean it’s literally the same number of stitches for the back piece as it is for one Highgate sleeve!

More Kid Silk Haze

A few months ago, I bought a pack of Rowan KSH in “Trance” from Jannette on E-bay… It’s lovely stuff, but I haven’t used any of it yet. So when I friend of mine was looking to buy some for a Birch shawl, I sold a few balls to her for cheap. In the meantime, I’ve gone and bought some “replacement” balls (from Jannette, again) in “Blushes”, a nice rosy pink colour. Now, to find a shawl pattern for this…